


Episode Twenty-Two:  The Speed and the Frozen-Fire

by keirajo



Series: Transformers: Star Voyager [23]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Eventual Romance, M/M, Multi, Racing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-16 13:59:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17551004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keirajo/pseuds/keirajo
Summary: The Star Voyager crew finally makes it to Velocitron the day before the massive World Drive Cup--as Blurr prepares for the race and is flirted with by new crew members Firestar and Moonracer............Ultra Magnus meets another former Voyager Class soldier and Rodimus Prime tries to best explain what must be done in order to win against Unicron.   Override's past as Velocitron's top racer, Nitro, is also finally revealed!





	Episode Twenty-Two:  The Speed and the Frozen-Fire

Episode Twenty-Two:   The Speed and the Frozen-Fire

 

 

            “Before ya go—kin I ask ya somethin’?”  A femme of Caprica said, sharply, stopping Rodimus Prime just as he was about to turn back and head to the _Star Voyager_.

            Rodimus turned to face her—surprised to find himself looking down at a not-so-slender femme, though one _not_ as stocky as Override………….and her colors very nearly matched his.   _She wore the colors of flames_.   Though her reds were a darker color than his, she clearly _loved_ the flames.

            “Name’s _Firestar_ ……..‘n’ I listen’d to ya talkin’ in the plaza.   My partner ‘n’ I—we wanna come ‘long.   Kin we come along?”   She asked.

            “Are you sure?  I mean…………you can clearly see we’ll probably run into more danger,” Rodimus chuckled.   She had fire and spirit— _just like him_!   It was a lot like looking at a female version of himself.

            “ _Pfft_.   We kin handle it!”  Firestar laughed warmly.   “M’partner……….. _Moonracer_.  ‘N’ we totally wanna see Velocitron……….‘n’ the other colonies!”

            The femme beside her was of colors of cool green-blue and white, more on the side of green than blue—it was a lovely shade akin to teal and looked very unique.   She was very slender and feminine, unlike Firestar.   Moonracer gave a very polite curtsey to Rodimus Prime.

            “The blue mech you were talking to………….what is _his_ name?”  Moonracer asked, her voice soft and shy.

            “ _Oh_ , **_him_** , _hunh_?   He’s _Blurr_ —my best friend, we grew up together!”  The flame-colored mech chuckled, grinning down at the two femmes.

            “So………..then are you two………..?”  Moonracer asked, surprised and the tone in her vocalizer sounded almost a little disappointed.

            “ _Oh Primus, **NO**_!”  Rodimus laughed, realizing……………these two femmes also wanted to get to know his best friend better— ** _A LOT BETTER_**.   “I have my own partners!   And Blurr………………well, he _really_ prefers the company of femmes over mechs anyways.   He prefers femmes over **_me_** , even!   Be careful though— _he’s a tricky one_ ,” he added with a devilish grin.

            “ _Heh_ ………….sounds like a blast!   We’ll go get r’stuff!”  Firestar chuckled warmly.

            Rodimus nodded at them and then walked over to the crew, where they’d gathered outside of the _Star Voyager_.   They were all talking amongst themselves—getting to know each other, since half the crew just now had gotten to meet the newest members of the crew.  Jetfire and Beachcomber were also going along to Cybertron with the majority of the group, feeling that their backgrounds might be able to help the medical community just a little bit more.

            “We’ve got two new crew members joining up, so I’ll take them to Velocitron with me,” Rodimus said to everyone.   “Star Saber—here’s my recorded message to give to the Autobots on Cybertron, I hope they won’t be difficult about the situation.   While Blurr goes and chases his destiny on Velocitron, I’ll be speaking with their government about the Unicron and Decepticon situations—meanwhile, **_Brainstorm_**!   I want you to work with Cerebros and fix up the spacebridge on Cybertron.   Grab any mechanic and scientist you want while you’re there……….I want it working by the time Blurr wins his race,” the flame-colored mech added.

            “What is the plan _afterwards_?”  Ultra Magnus asked.   He didn’t like how his young lover was not explaining everything to happen afterward the jaunt to Velocitron and why he wanted the spacebridge fixed so insistently.

            “For now, I’m going to keep that to myself.  I _still_ have to work out a few of the details,” Rodimus answered, smiling over at the mech who raised him with such warmth and love.  “Once I’ve worked out the details, I’ll explain _everything_ ……..all right?”

            “You’re sure things will be all right in the meantime?” Star Saber asked, curiously.   “The priority since you left Corona has been notifying the colonies until _this_ point—and it sounds like you’re not going to go to the remaining ones after Velocitron,” he added, gazing almost optic-to-optic with Rodimus Prime, from a height just a little taller than the flame-colored mech’s.

            Rodimus knew why Star Saber was coming down on him a bit harshly for this—because one of the remaining colonies was **_Meteor_** , the colony _he_ was born on.   He reached up and cupped the sides of the old swordsmech’s faceplate.  

            “Out of _any_ of the colonies, I can assure you……………Meteor is, without a doubt, _the safest_.   It’s the _only one_ not on a direct path back to Cybertron—Unicron wants Cybertron and he’ll only mess with colonies and planets in his path,” Rodimus Prime said, firmly, his voice kind and serene.   “Unicron wants to destroy Primus before I bring the Spark back to him.   It’s………… _well_ ………..we have to follow the lines of fate.   And **_this_** is the path fate says to take.   If we just go back to Cybertron and activate Primus now, without the spacebridge being operational, he won’t be able to touch the colonies and assure all our Sparks of the future.”

            Everyone looked at Rodimus strangely.

            “Yeah, I **_know_** that sounds super-weird, _even to me_!   Apparently the spacebridges are Primus’ only link to his scattered seeds, so………..whether they’re in upgraded and functional capability is not important—their very existence is what’s important,” the flame-colored mech said, pulling his hands away from Star Saber’s faceplating.   “I dunno—it feels _right_ when Primus says it to me, but it sounds _super-weird_ when I say it out loud to you guys.   So, _yeah_ , the spacebridge on Cybertron needs to be brought back to functional status—for Primus’ sake.   That means we have a tiny little bit of a window here and…………..I’m doing something somewhat selfishly for my very best friend who gave me his friendship and his love and everything for the past ten years.”

            “ _Roddy_ ,” Blurr murmured, looking at his best friend.  “I told you that you don’t have to do this…….” he trailed off, worry in the tone of his vocalizer.

            “I **_want_** to.  I know how this goes, I _know_ how much time we’ve got.   And I know I need to have that spacebridge working before I can actually _do anything_ for Primus,” the young flame-colored Prime answered.   “I don’t know exactly _why_ yet, but I know that **_this_** is exactly how it has to go.”

            “If you say it will be fine this way, then **_I_** believe in you,” Roadfire said, kindly.   “We can’t always understand what the gods plan, we just sometimes have to have the faith to follow it.”

            “Thanks Roadfire, that really means a lot to me,” Rodimus answered, grinning at the swordsmech from Sanctuary.   Then he saw Moonracer and Firestar coming up to the group with packs in their servos and on their backs.   “Everyone, this is Moonracer and Firestar from Aquarius.   They want to join us on the journey, so they’ll stick with us on the _Star Voyager_ —until we all have the chance to meet up again on Cybertron.   Before we part ways…………are there any more questions?”  The young leader asked, looking around at everyone.

            His friends and companions looked at each other, murmured and mumbled some things to themselves or one another, but no one seemed to have any more questions.   So, Rodimus dismissed the groups to board either the _Star Voyager_ or Fortress Maximus in his space-faring mode—only stopping Drift for a few moments.

            “Drift………..take care of yourself, okay?   We’ll see each other soon enough,” Rodimus murmured, leaning down to hug his other lover.

            “ _Are_ you hiding an unhappy ending from us?”  The younger swordsmech asked, holding the young Prime’s gaze.

            “ ** _No_**.   Not really.   It’s kind of hard to explain—there are set things that _I know_ , but I’m not one-hundred percent certain of _how to get there_ ,” the flame-colored mech said, shaking his head.   “Primus just says I’ll understand when I need to.   _But_ …………be assured, we’re **_all_** going to live, that much I can promise you.”

            “So, the God of Order _truly_ talks to you?”  Drift asked, folding his arms across his chest, gazing up into Rodimus Prime’s faceplate.

            “ _That’s_ not so easy to define either.   _The light_ talks to me, kinda.   It………… _synchronizes_ with my systems………..?”  Rodimus explained, trailing off in an inquiring tone, because he didn’t really have any words to explain how the Matrix communicated Primus’ will to him.

            “ _All right_.   Then I’ll see you on Cybertron, soon enough,” the grey-and-white mech responded, reaching up and cupping Rodimus’ faceplate and then pulled him down for a deep kiss.  “Take care and be careful, right?”  He chuckled.

            “ _Yeah_.   I can’t wait to Spark-bond with you and Magnus again,” the flame-colored mech said with a grin.

            Then the group finally parted ways with Fortress Maximus leaving first, to head for Cybertron…………and the _Star Voyager_ lifted off shortly after that, to head to nearby Velocitron.   Even though Velocitron was nearby, it was a 4-hour flight and there wasn’t a need to quantum jump that short of a distance, so everyone was told to just relax.

            Blurr piloted with Roadfire’s assistance, because Ultra Magnus said he had some things to discuss with Rodimus Prime.   Grotusque had fun making friends with the two new femmes of the crew, making them a _special meal_ to welcome them—as Hot Rod had shown him how to make meals.   Override was relaxing on the bridge, since the engines were in good order after Brainstorm upgraded them, she was slowly giving encouragement to Blurr on the possible upcoming race—describing the track and the race and what it needed from a racer—and maybe bragging a little bit at how many times she’s won it herself.

            And meanwhile, elsewhere on the ship…………

            “I’m a bit worried at the glances you’re giving me, Mags,” Rodimus said as he came into their hab suite and saw the older mech standing near the berth.

            “I am worried at all the responsibilities you have taken on now.  Is there not anything I can do to assist you?”  The old soldier said with a deep sigh, suddenly sitting down on the edge of the berth.

            Rodimus Prime smiled, walking over to the berth and sitting down beside one of the two mechs that he loved with all of his Spark.   Because he had the Matrix now and was privy to all its knowledge of the past and the future, he now knew the truth about Ultra Magnus’ unusual birth and exactly why that _special sparkling_ had to be forged.   Because the new Prime that would come into existence needed a devoted protector, someone stronger than almost any other Cybertronian (or Cybertronian descendant) had ever been.

            _Someone as strong as a Prime._

            “You already do everything for me, simply by being in my life, Magnus—I’ve loved you probably ever since we met in the Well.   We’ve been _connected_ since then,” the young, flame-colored mech murmured, leaning over and hugging the strong mech beside him.  “ _Live for me_ —that’s what I want.   Live for me and for Drift………….and be excited for our future together.”

            “That makes it sound too much like _you_ are not expecting to survive,” the old soldier sighed, leaning against the mech who used to be smaller than him, but now was almost as tall.

            “I just told Drift—we’re **_all_** going to survive, it’s just…………..it’ll probably seem like it’s pretty apocalyptic until the actual happy ending,” Rodimus chuckled softly, leaning his helm against the helm of the mech he loved.   “We’ll make it, _I promise_ …………… ** _but_** …………….I won’t ever be returning to Corona.   I can still send you and Drift back when it’s over and visit you sometimes, but…………… ** _I_** can’t go home.   _Never again_.   There’s too much for me to do afterwards.”

            Ultra Magnus heard the deep tone of sadness in the young Rodimus Prime’s voice.   Clearly his little star wanted to go home and be a young mech again, except he fully knew that the time for _that_ was long past.   If that was the way it was to be, then the old soldier wouldn’t return to Corona either—and, likely, neither would Drift.   He sat up straight and then pulled the flame-colored mech against him.

            “We are bonded for eternity—I shall go wherever **_you_** go, my shining star,” Ultra Magnus said, warmly, holding on to the one he loved, tightly.   He was pleased when Rodimus returned the hug and then they fell back onto the berth to enjoy one another’s company for the next couple hours.

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

            They landed on Velocitron and while shy Grotusque remained aboard the _Star Voyager_ , most everyone else disembarked.   Roadfire did elect to remain with the ship, though he said he might walk around outside of it.   He politely chuckled at Rodimus and said it might be better if he weren’t caught “ _talking to himself_ ” as he often seemed to do, the mechs and femmes of the city might think oddly of him.   Besides, the warrior didn’t want Grotusque to get too lonely staying on the ship by himself.

            Firestar and Moonracer said they had some long-distance friends they were going to visit while they were here and made sure that they had exchanged communications codes with everyone—especially Blurr, whom they were both flirting shamelessly with.   Blurr had never been so outrightly flirted with……….. ** _he_** was the one usually hitting on others.   He was a tiny bit embarrassed, but he was utterly and completely infatuated with the fact that he had two very beautiful femmes coming on to him so strongly.

            And all of this was something that Rodimus _never_ thought he’d see—his sex-obsessed best friend acting _a bit shy_ around femmes, who were **_seriously_** interested in him.   Maybe it really meant there was the potential for something truly special?    It would be great if Blurr could find someone— _or a couple certain someones!_ —who were interested in him for **_more_** than just a short fling.   That was something that Rodimus had _always_ wanted for Blurr!

            Blurr and Override went to the offices for the **_World Drive Cup_** , so that they could see about his special entry into the race tomorrow.   Override seemed certain that with his race videos, track times and a well-known Velocitronian racer backing him—there would be _no doubt_ that Blurr would be able to enter the race.

            So that left Ultra Magnus and Rodimus Prime to go talk with the local government of the city they landed in, named _Acceleration Avenue_ …………and from there they would try and get a connection to the overall government officials on Velocitron.   The two of them walked through the city, which was mainly underground, with an escort—the only things really above-ground on Velocitron were the massive, world-crossing, race tracks.   So there weren’t big towering buildings, everything was flat and mostly one or two levels on Velocitron far beneath the surface and the racetracks.

            It reminded Rodimus like something of a giant shopping mall, more than anything.

            “I suppose that’s _not_ inaccurate!”   Their guide, a red mech named Knock Out, laughed.   “There’s _a ton_ of shopping districts around here.   The hab area’s pretty clustered together, no matter what city you go to.   _Most_ of us live at the tracks, though.”

            “I never went there, but it reminds me of Hexadron on Cybertron,” Ultra Magnus chuckled, fondly.   “It was a big city that was almost entirely a shopping district, very little habitation area whatsoever.   Star and Dai went there a lot, I think Sentinel Prime did as well.”

            “I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the idea for it, except there’s our devotion to racing—we have a lot of the old Cybertronian ways here and have maintained them,” Knock Out answered as he led them down a brightly-lit, neon-colored corridor.   “A lot of our ancestors came from Nyon, so racing and entertainment is in our fuel lines.  Our Prime was from Nyon, Alchemist Prime, he really wanted to keep the excitement and intensity of the entertainment district when it came to Velocitronian culture.”

            As they passed a couple of busy shops, Ultra Magnus stopped walking when he thought he saw a very familiar frame—black-and-grey mech as tall as he was, with a horned helm.   He told Rodimus to keep going and he’d catch up to them at the administration building.   If this were **_really_** Black Shadow…………..and Drift’s reports had been accurate…………he may not even be kind to Magnus.   And his name was “ _Sky Shadow_ ”, now, if everything Drift had heard was correct.

            “Excuse me,” Ultra Magnus said, softly, lightly tapping the tall black-and-grey mech on the shoulder.

            The mech turned and his old crimson optics glowed with surprise, then turned a somber red with fondness.   “Little Magnus, **_this_** is certainly the last place I thought I’d ever see you!”   The mech laughed.

            “Is _this_ where you’re living now, um………” Ultra Magnus began, hesitating on calling him by either designation.

            “It’s Sky Shadow now,” he responded, smiling at the old soldier, who was still much younger than him.   “I’m here and there…………but mostly I come to Velocitron between chasing down bounties.”

            “I am glad to see you are doing well.   I never got a chance to say good-bye to you, out of everyone else on the team,” the red-white-blue mech said, his voice soft and full of fondness.  He really did care about all his fellow Voyager Class soldiers—despite all the bantering they shared over the years.   **_They_** were his first family.   “There are not many of us left……….” he trailed off, looking into the old red optics to see if the older mech knew anything more than he did.   Supposedly there was one more Voyager Class soldier out there………….

            “Greatshot is gone, he’s why I’m _here_ ,” Sky Shadow sighed.   “He was here on Velocitron, fighting Overlord for a number of centuries.”

            “Dai’s gone, too,” Ultra Magnus answered.  “Looks like it is just you, Star Saber and I.”

            “Dai was _always_ too good for his own good, but…………I liked him anyways,” the tall black-and-grey mech laughed.   “I always figured if anyone else survived it would’ve been Star Saber, he went chasing after Des after all.   But if Des is gone and……..”

            “He is alive and he has found a reason to keep living,” the slightly younger mech responded to his elder.

            “I’m glad for him—losing a sparkmate is _never_ an easy battle.   If you have been to other colonies, that means you came in on that _really nice ship_ ,” Sky Shadow said, tilting his head and pulling them over outside the shop he was in, so they could talk more without blocking shoppers or pedestrian traffic.   “Were your years on Corona good for you, Magnus?   You seem a bit _lighter_ now—far more open than you used to be.”

            “ _They were_.   I raised a sparkling…………I fell in love and I formed a trine,” Ultra Magnus answered, smiling happily at his old friend and comrade.

            “ ** _You!_**    A _trine_ of all things!   _Congratulations_ —one of them must be the flame-colored mech you were with.  Gotta admit, _he’s_ a looker,” the older mech laughed warmly, leaning against the wall.

            “He most certainly is,” Magnus laughed, too.   “We are actually on a mission—we are trying to warn the colonies about Unicron and the Decepticons.   We shall be heading back to Cybertron once we are done here.  Do you want to join us?”   He asked, hopefully.

            “That’s nice of you to offer, Magnus, but I **_can’t_**.   _Not yet_.  I have to hunt down Overlord,” Sky Shadow answered, shaking his head.   “I promised Greatshot that I wouldn’t let _that monster_ bring more harm to the colonists.   But he hasn’t been seen on Velocitron in a while, so I’m thinking that he may have left and headed for another colony.”

            “Can I have your PCC?   If I hear any information, I will be sure to pass it along to you,” the red-white-blue mech responded, smiling at the older mech.

            “ _Of course_ ,” Sky Shadow chuckled.  They exchanged personal communications codes.  “I’m glad I got to see you, Magnus—you’re all grown up and a really great mech.   Sentinel always thought you were destined for something big.”

            Ultra Magnus’ faceplate flushed a little bit with his happiness at hearing such nice words about him and about hearing more about his former Prime.   The older members of the unit had known their Prime for many, **_many_** years……….but Magnus had so very little time, in comparison with them, knowing the flame-colored Prime back on Cybertron.   And now, _here he was_ , attached to **_another Prime_** with the colors of flames.

            All of the sudden Magnus facepalmed himself.   _Primus………..he had a **type**_.

            “ _Ah-ha-ha!_    I see that something just dawned on you………….something to do with the colors of flames, perhaps?”  Sky Shadow chortled.   “The cold will always seek the heat of the flame—you were always a cool, distant young mech.   You only ever opened up to Sentinel, really.   I know he realized this, too—he was very worried about leaving you on your own by sending you to Corona.   He did everything he possibly could to make your life happy and comfortable as you tried to get over your PTSD.”

            “I……….I see that now.   One day you and Saber will have to tell me more about Sentinel Prime, something beyond the view of fondness and admiration that **_I_** have for him.   You’ll have to tell me more about him as a Prime and as a………….guardian,” Ultra Magnus responded, smiling at Sky Shadow.   He truly hoped he’d see his fellow Voyager Class soldier again.

            “ _Heh_.  I look forward to **_that_**.  Oh, trust me—Saber may be the youngest one next to you, but he’s got some _great_ stories of Sentinel.   _And I have some truly **epic** ones_!”  Sky Shadow chortled softly, pushing away from the wall.   “I should get back to work.   Well, sifting through information sources that is.”

            “Yeah, and I should get back to Rodimus,” Magnus said.   He didn’t call him “ _Rodimus Prime_ ”, because he didn’t want to give Sky Shadow even more to laugh over at what Ultra Magnus’ “ _type_ ” truly was.   “I hope I get to see you again in the near future.  Take care of yourself, Sky Shadow!”   He held out his arm, servo open.

            Sky Shadow grinned and slapped his arm against the younger mech’s, clasping his servo around Magnus’ forearm, while the younger mech did the same to him.   Then the tall grey-and-black mech went back into the shop and Ultra Magnus went in the direction that Rodimus and Knock Out had gone.

            After catching up to the two that he’d left to speak with Sky Shadow, Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus had finally met with the governor of Accleration Avenue, a tall and slender red-colored mech by the name of Stinger.   He had a very stern face and looked incredibly dour and serious.   It turned out, he was the _complete opposite_ —with a warm tone in his vocalizer and a tendency to make little “ _perk me up_ ” jokes.

            “And here most of us always thought that Unicron was more or less a made-up monster to get sparklings to stay in line,” Stinger sighed, shaking his head as he listened to Rodimus and Magnus tell the tales of their encounters with Unicron.   “I am not surprised that Liege Maximo’s little uprising became something as large and overblown as a rebel army though.   It also sounds like Unicron’s interference on Root may have shook up and disorganized these Decepticons as well.”

            “Galvatron seems the type to follow his whims, but _Nemesis_ might be a serious force to be dealt with.   Not that we should discount Galvatron, but it seems like Megatron’s rebellious streak runs through him and he might not do every single thing that Unicron wants him to,” Rodimus Prime explained, folding his servos on the table before him.

            “ _Hmmm_.   Those are the type to watch out for, because of their unpredictability,” the tall red mech responded, smiling wryly and shaking his head.   “Oh, to change the topic while I send this information over to the other city governors…………I heard you brought our beloved champion back to Velocitron.   She has been greatly missed, but we all know it would be difficult to stay here and not be able to race.”

            “Override’s _awesome_.   She had been my teacher for a few years at the university on Corona—and she’s my best friend’s guardian,” Rodimus responded with a big grin.   “What happened to her…………that she can’t race anymore?  I never wanted to ask, because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings or anything.”

            Stinger nodded serenely.  He explained that under normal circumstances he’d let Override explain herself…………….but the incident was legendary and very common knowledge on Velocitron.   So, he felt it would be all right to explain the incident to the two foreigner mechs.

            It was the day of a World Drive Cup race—held once a year in a different city every time, that particular year it was being held in Neutral Meadows.   The week leading up to the race had the usual build-up of excitement, people were filing in to race or to watch the race.   There were qualifiers to eliminate all but the very best of the racers who’d applied that year during the week leading up to the race. 

            The weather was absolutely perfect and fantastic and everyone was excited.   The good mood permeated everything.   Everything was perfect, that is, until the very day of the race.   That was when a freak massive storm hit.   The race had _never ever_ been cancelled before and all the racers said they could handle a little lightning and rain—so the race was scheduled to continue, even in the massive storm.   The racers were revved up and excited and made sure to make preparations for a wet track.

            Then, just as Nitro and her greatest rival, Breakdown, hit the final flat-out dash for the finish line—lightning struck the track practically right in front of them.  At their speeds, _neither of them_ could stop or even slow down enough to safely make it to the end.   They struck each other, spun out and slammed into the walls along the final yards of the track.   Neither of them finished the race and both were immediately taken to the hospital.

            Breakdown’s primary fuel line had ruptured and he lost fuel at too rapid of a pace.   He died even before the medics could get him down into surgery.   Nitro’s spark-casing had taken a real beating in the crash and was microfractured all along the exterior—with a few cracks _too deep into the casing_ for the self-healing nanites to repair.   Her spark-casing would never be the same and if she tried to race after that—the heat-up of her Spark during racing would quite possibly shatter apart her spark-casing and could cause her death instantly.  

            Nitro of Narrowpath Fields would _never_ be able to race again.   So, unable to live in a world where the race was everything—Velocitron’s revered champion racer chose to go to Cybertron in the hopes of eventually being relocated to a colony to live out a normal, non-racing life.

            “Poor Override, I never knew it was _that bad_ ,” Rodimus murmured, sadly.

            “She was a vivacious spirit—we all missed her when she chose to leave, but not a single one of us begrudged her choice,” Stinger responded.   “But thank you for bringing her home, at least for a short time—and to see the young racer she raised.”

            “Blurr’s _awesome_.   I think he’s an amazing racer—I hope he does well in the World Drive Cup!”  Rodimus said, excitedly.  “I’m really looking forward to seeing it tomorrow!”

 

 

*      *      *      *      *

 

            “Wowza………he’s _good_ ,” Firestar chuckled, leaning on the guard rail and staring down into the practice track.   Moonracer leaned beside her.  The two young femmes had just arrived and decided to watch the object of their interest practice.

            “I should hope so, I’ve coached him all his life,” Override chuckled.   “We didn’t get a proper introduction all around—I’m _Override_ , but formerly known as _Nitro of Narrowpath Fields_ here on Velocitron.”

            Moonracer straightened up with a gasp, flinging her servos over her mouth in shock and awe.   Firestar saw the recognition in her partner’s bright blue optics and began rubbing her temples to think.  “ _Nitro_ ”—where had they heard the name “ _Nitro_ ” before?

            “My lady!   _It’s such an honor!_    I’ve watched all your races and they still show some of them on replay broadcasts that we get on Caprica!”   Moonracer suddenly gushed.

            That was when Firestar snapped her fingers of her right servo.  “Of course!   Yer that amazin’ racin’ champion!   Saw yer final race, _‘twas spark-breaking_ ,” the flame-colored femme said with a deep sigh in her vocalizer.  “ _Ah_.   Yeh moved to ‘nother colony.  Makes sense, gotta be hard ta be on a world where racin’s all ya got,” she added, giving a polite dip of her shoulders.   Despite her odd accent that might make her sound “ _rude_ ” to some mech or femme’s audials, Firestar was an extremely polite femme.

            “I spent some time on Cybertron, working at a security firm.   Then I requested of Alchemist Prime to go to a quieter colony— _he_ chose Corona for me.   When I moved to Corona, I changed my name to _Override_ ,” the stocky femme responded, smiling over at the two femmes.   “I became a teacher………..and, in time, a guardian to a little sparkling.   Blurr is probably _one of the best things_ to come into my life.   He’s haughty and independent, but he’s also passionate and very kind.  His friendship with Hot Rod— _errr, Rodimus Prime_ —is probably the greatest of all friendships I’ve ever seen.”

            “That sounds so sweet,” Moonracer murmured, grinning at Override.  Then she leaned back on the guard rail to watch Blurr.   “He’s got good pacing.   Speed, _yes_ ………..but his pacing is clock-perfect!”   She said, admiringly.   “Firestar is too emotional about racing and sometimes forgets about pace.”

            “ _C’mon, kiri_ —‘s just I **_love_** to race!”  Firestar groaned, deeply, tossing her head back and facepalming herself.

            Override smiled at the intimate nickname.  “ _Kiri_ ” was a Caprican term for “ _lover_ ” or “ _beloved_ ”—it even could have meant “ _sparkmate_ ”.   “Blurr may’ve relied more on his speed—except he always took Hot Rod with him to the track to practice.   So, with his _‘slower’_ best friend, he learned to pace a lot better,” the former champion racer chuckled.   She reached up to rub the back of her neck, suddenly feeling sorry for her former flame-colored student—with a bulkier frame, his alt mode was likely to be somewhat different.   Hot Rod— _now Rodimus Prime_ —would probably never be able to race with Blurr again.

            “Is everything all right, my lady?”  Moonracer asked, seeing the look of melancholy on Override’s faceplate.

            “ ** _Ah_** _.  Yeah._    Hot Rod used to love racing on practice tracks with Blurr—his alt mode was better for varied track and not a flat racetrack, but he _still_ loved doing it.   With his new frame that the Matrix gave him, I think he might be too bulky to race anymore—it also seems like he’s got his hands full,” Override said, leaning on the guard rail and let her optics follow Blurr’s pace around the practice track.    “In a way, as they’re growing up—it looks as if they’re _growing apart_.   I wonder how much further apart they’ll become as Rodimus takes on more duties of leadership?”   She sighed.   “And you can just call me Override, okay?”

            “Friendship can truly endure, when _the bonds_ are there,” the slender teal-and-white femme said.   “I am certain they’ll be able to have some time for their friendship once this issue of Unicron is dealt with.”

            “ _Yah._    Righ’ now, seems a bit crazy.   But it’ll get better,” Firestar added.   “ _’Bout Blurr_ —Rodimus said he’s **_unattached_**.   Yeh think tha’ he migh’ be interested in us?”  She asked, grinning over at the stocky femme she was standing next to.

            “He has a tendency to gravitate towards femmes, but he’s never had a relationship that lasted more than three or four days,” Override chuckled.   “He goes about his life too fast.   Maybe what he needs is someone—or a _couple_ of someones—to keep up with his fast pace?”   She responded, grinning at them.

            “ _Heh_.   He’ll have ta try hard to keep up wi’ us,” the flame-colored femme chuckled, leaning back on the guard rail and watched Blurr continue his laps on the practice track.

            “Just remember, he’s got a race tomorrow—so you two can’t go playing with him until after the race,” the stocky older femme laughed, reaching over to clap Firestar on the shoulder.

            Moonracer just giggled softly.   Firestar groaned, knowing what her sparkmate was thinking.   The three femmes continued to watch Blurr go through pacing the laps on the track.   Every lap he seemed to get faster—getting used to the feel of the Velocitronian pavement.   When he was done and walked over to the track manager to get his lap times, he took a quick shower in the washracks and walked back to the lounge area and was met by his guardian and the two younger femmes from Caprica.

            “Hey matri, hi ladies!”  Blurr chuckled.   “I think I did _good_ out there.   The pavement on Velocitron is fantastic—I felt like I was **_flying_** on those last laps!”   He laughed, warmly, plunking down on a couch across from all of them.   He grinned and tossed a datapad at Override.  “What do you think of _those_ times?”   He asked, still grinning at his guardian.

            “They are fantastic—I know you _more than qualify_ for the World Drive Cup,” Override responded, grinning over at her ward.

            “Gosh, matri— _everyone_ on this planet knows you!   The track manager asked if I’d get your autograph for him!”   Blurr gushed, leaning forwards and resting his elbows on his knee-joints.

            “Ah, ta live on’a backwater world!”  Firestar chuckled.   “I bet ‘twas relaxing for yeh, Override—d’yeh miss it?   ‘R d’yeh miss Velocitron?”

            “ _Both_ , I think.   When I could race, I would’ve raced forever on Velocitron.   But since I can’t race anymore, I’m glad to live on Corona and have the quiet life I live there,” Override said with a very wry smile.   “It’s hard to be here and _not race_.    But I want to see Blurr race on the best track in the universe.   I’m glad their _weather forecasting_ has improved, that’s for sure.”

            Firestar gave a soft little chuckle and Moonracer gave a sad little sigh.   Blurr never knew the story, so he just looked at the three femmes with a puzzled look on his faceplate.   Override stood up and grabbed a remote, then turned on the viewing screen in the lounge.   She knew that it was in the historical records—or else the two younger femmes in the room wouldn’t know the story.   Blurr leaned back on the couch to watch the recording of his guardian’s final race.

            It was an hour-long tribute special, which had the important parts of the race footage in it.   The two young femmes curled up against each other to watch something they’ve seen dozens of times.   Blurr glanced at them, curiously—wondering why they were flirting so much with him, when it was clear the two of them were already a bonded pair—but then turned his attention back to the special.

            It was interesting to see his matri with fewer lines in her faceplating and some design glyphs on her frame—it made Blurr think of Hot Rod or Drift, with their love for frame patterns.   She still had the sturdy, stocky build and the fierce glow in her blue optics.   The thing that really caught Blurr’s attention was how much, **_in personality_** , that Override— _Nitro, back then_ —was like Hot Rod.  Excited, over-confident, open and easy-going………….all parts of his best friend’s personality that he’d known all his life.   It was a little strange to compare all of that to his mature guardian’s personality now.

            Then he saw the final moments of the race—the lightning strike and the collision, then the crash.  Blurr’s mouth fell open as it went into a medical report afterwards, detailing that Breakdown had died and the resulting spark-casing fracturing on Nitro would prevent her from ever racing again.   As it mentioned the funeral for Breakdown and that Nitro was choosing to be relocated to another colony by petitioning Alchemist Prime………his head turned and he looked at Override, whose faceplate showed a strange sadness, but a little smile curled her lips as she caught him looking at her with shock.

            “Despite everything, I don’t think I would’ve changed the aftermath of this situation—after all, I made a lot more friends on Corona **_and_** I got to raise you,” the stocky older femme responded as she turned the viewer off.   “Racers are an egotistical lot and if you’re a pro, _you’re worse than that_.   Most here have acquaintances and lovers—we don’t really make friends on Velocitron, nor do we do bondings.   All of those were things I learned about after _leaving Velocitron_ and I would not trade those experiences back in for more time on the racetrack.   _I would not trade knowing and raising you for another year on these tracks that I loved back then_.”

            “ _Matri_ ………….” Blurr whispered, for the first time seeing all of his guardian’s past and seeing how it shaped her present.

            “You _don’t_ have to win tomorrow—I’m actually not expecting you to.   I want you to _have fun_ and experience the joy I used to feel with racing,” Override said, smiling fondly at him.  “I want you to see how important life is—not just racing, but _everything that’s in your life outside of a racetrack_.”   As she said that, she glanced over at the two femmes curled on another couch together.   “I want this race to show you everything that you have in your life that’s **_important_**.   So, look out into the crowds after you cross that finish line and appreciate it **_all_**!”   She said, great warmth in the tone of her vocalizer.

**Author's Note:**

> I've finally been able to start finding "War for Cybertron: Siege" toys at my local Wal-Mart and Target stores (we are always last to get them around here, it seems they're out for months on the coasts and in Texas--where I'm NOT). I just got Ultra Magnus yesterday and I'm so freaking happy!!! Him and Starscream are the ones I want most from the "Siege" line--at least until stuff in other waves are revealed. Though Greenlight being an exclusive somewhere may be a hard one to get for that "all female Combiner"............


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